


we could just kiss like real people do

by chocolatechip



Category: X-Men Evolution
Genre: Blindness, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, M/M, Scott Summers Deserves Happiness, Scott Summers with The Brotherhood, The Brotherhood of Mutants is a Family, au where mystique got scott before charles could, kind of, no one is evil tho dont worry, panic attack kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25593133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocolatechip/pseuds/chocolatechip
Summary: At first, it was just him and Mystique. She was kind to him, sometimes. She paid for his education and gave him a place to live. He was confined to a blindfold. He tried not to think about it.Mystique found Scott before Xavier did.
Relationships: Jean Grey/Scott Summers, Lance Alvers/Pietro Maximoff, Toad/Kurt Wagner
Comments: 12
Kudos: 70





	we could just kiss like real people do

**Author's Note:**

> this concept was originally just supposed to be a couple doodles in my sketchbook, but the idea was so powerful that i had to write a 5k oneshot.  
> (the title is from like real people do by hozier bc we stan hozier)
> 
> anyway i hope you enjoy!

At first, it was just him and Mystique. She was kind to him, sometimes. She paid for his education and gave him a place to live. He was confined to a blindfold. He tried not to think about it.

At school, he wore large, dark sunglasses. Mystique, or as the school knew her, Principal Darkholme, instructed him to tell everyone that he was blind.

Sometimes, his eyes opened. That had caused much damage, which she made him pay for in one way or another. He taped his eyes shut after that.

Not long after he started Bayville High, another mutant, a girl with deep red hair (or so he’s told) attended. Mystique told him to stay away from her. The girl was Xavier’s pet, she said. He wasn’t sure who Xavier was, but according to Mystique, he was bad news.

He learned braille. He learned to fight blind. He learned to adapt and live his life without sight.

Life with Mystique was not bad. She trained him to use his powers.  _ Control _ was hardly an option. The most he could control was closing his eyes. Those were the moments he cherished most, when he could open his eyes and unleash his powers without having to worry about hurting anyone. Although, he suspected she  _ wanted _ him to hurt people.

All that aside, she was the closest thing he had to family since the place crash.

Then, another boy came to live with them. Mystique said the boy’s name was Todd, and he was arriving today.

“Hello,” he introduced himself when the boy was settled in his new room.

“Hey,” the boy said, “I’m Todd, you?”

“Scott,” he said.

They stuck together, Scott and Todd. They were in most of the same classes, despite Todd being a couple years younger. Principal Darkholme’s doing, Scott thought. 

Todd was an easy target for bullying. Scott was reluctant to leave his side.

In some of his classes, the ones without Todd (he worried about Todd), he was with the mutant girl with the red hair. Her name was Jean, he found out (how could he not know her name, after years of going to the same school).

He never held a whole conversation with her.

“So, Xavier has a new pet,” Mystique muttered one morning.

“Hm?” Scott asked. He was having trouble pouring cereal into his bowl, but he managed without spilling cereal or milk.

“This one is named Kurt,” Mystique told Scott and Todd, “Don’t talk to him. Stay away from Xavier’s children.”

Kurt was in one or two of Scott’s classes. He did his best to ignore the boy, but Kurt was persistent. He had a German accent and he was fluent in English.

Somehow, Scott talked to Kurt more in weeks than he had to Jean in years.

With the arrival of Kurt, more mutants followed like dominoes. The Xavier guy got some. Mystique got some.

A boy who could shake the earth. A girl who could  _ suck the life out of someone _ . A boy with inhuman strength. A speedster.

Scott got along well with them, mostly. Pietro was just hard to be nice to in general. But Rogue… she didn’t seem interested in being friends.

_ Don’t talk to them _ , Mystique’s voice rang in his head,  _ Stay away from Xavier’s pets. _

That was harder with more of them. A girl who could walk through walls and a boy who shot his own bones from his body… or… something.

Like Kurt, the girl would not stop talking to him. Luckily, she was a Freshman, so they didn’t have any of the same classes. Her name was Kitty, she told him. Kitty and Kurt made a horrible, annoying,  _ very persistent _ team.

He wasn’t sure why the two gravitated to him; surely Xavier had the same  _ stay away _ rules as Mystique?

They called themselves the Brotherhood. Scott discovered that Mystique was not the one in charge. Even higher up than her was a man who called himself  _ Magneto _ .

“I wish I could see,” he said one day. He was in his room, studying for a test with Lance.

“You can see,” Lance said. Scott heard papers rustling. Footsteps. The bed dipped and Lance laid next to him.

“No, I can’t. If I opened my eyes right now, this room would be a pile of rubble. And you would probably be very hurt,” Scott turned towards Lance. He didn’t know what Lance looked like, only what Lance described when he had asked. Brown hair, brown eyes. Skin darker than Scott’s own pale, freckled skin.

(He remembered having freckles, before his mutation developed. He wondered if they were still there).

Lance brushed his hand against Scott’s blindfold.

“Your boyfriend would kill you if he knew what you’re doing,” Scott said.

“What—no—No! Pietro’s not my—my boyfriend,” Lance stumbled over his words. His voice had taken a strange tone, and Scott was sure that Lance was blushing right now.

Scott tilted the corners of his mouth, suppressed a laugh.

“You ass!” Lance shoved him off the bed.

“Hey!” Scott climbed back up, “You can’t hit a blind man!”

“I thought we established that you can see,” Lance said.

“ _ You _ established that,” Scott said.

A week later, Rogue left them to join Xavier’s Institute.

He missed her, although not as much as he thought he would.

Scott sat at their normal lunch table, pushed to the back of the cafeteria. Hardly anyone looked their way. Since Rogue was gone, Lance assumed her position as Scott’s second-in-command (it was weird to think like that, as if he was a  _ leader _ ).

Scott, with his eyes taped shut and dark sunglasses covering them, was not aware of what Todd was doing to his food that made Fred laugh so hard, so he turned his attention to the footsteps behind him.

“Hey, Scott!” A voice with a German accent called. Kurt was behind him with someone. Probably Kitty.

Scott sighed and turned around. The two X-Geeks (as Pietro and Todd lovingly referred to Xavier’s students) were intent on bothering him.

“What?” Scott could at least find what they wanted before ignoring them completely.

“You wanna come to the movies with us on Saturday? Jean’s driving,” Kitty asked. She was laughing. No doubt this was a joke or a dare.

“No thank you,” Scott said stiffly.

“See, I told you,” Kurt told Kitty as they walked away. He sounded almost disappointed. 

Kurt was blue, Todd had told him (he wears an image inducer as school, Todd said, he’s kind of hot, Todd said). Scott wasn’t sure what blue looked like anymore. The only color he could see was red, in his limited view when he used his powers.

It had been a long time since he’d seen  _ any _ color besides red.

“Hey, why don’t we go to the movies anyway?” Pietro said, “We’ll sit away from them. How rude would that be? You refuse their offer, and then come with other people.” Pietro and Todd laughed. 

There was a whole thing with Magneto, and Mystique was gone too. She might be dead, buried beneath the rubble or whatever that was that Magneto built. He mourned her, but Scott felt bad because all he could focus on was that he had  _ seen. _ He had control of his power and he could  _ see. _

His sight and control were gone when the machine was destroyed.

With Mystique gone, times were hard. She left them barely any money, and supplies ran out fast. So, they got jobs. Well, Lance got a job. Most places in town wouldn’t hire Scott because he couldn’t see. Todd, Fred, and Pietro were fired in the first forty-eight hours.

A girl named Tabitha stayed with them for a while. She was nice, a good friend. She left too. Followed her own path.

Scott heard Pietro and Lance one night, murmuring to each other in Lance’s room.

“You’re overworking yourself,” Pietro said, softer and slower than Scott had ever heard him speak.

“We need to survive,” Lance replied.

Scott adjusted his blindfold (would it really be that bad if he just took it off?) and wrapped himself in the blanket and fell asleep.

He dreamed of life before. Before his mutation, before the plane crash, before Mystique. He dreamed of his brother and his parents. He  _ knew _ his parents were dead. It still hurt. Was there even a fraction of a chance that his brother survived?

“Oh no,” Jean Grey audibly muttered a few weeks later, when she and Scott were partnered together for a project.

Scott tried not to be offended.

Somehow, in almost four years of knowing each other, of being at the same school, they had never interacted more than once or twice. If Scott smiled more that day, no one said anything.

The next day, Scott was inside the Xavier Institute. The place was a mansion. Literally. They had everything the Brotherhood didn’t. Money, enough food, running water (theirs was on the verge of being shut off). Every inch of his body screamed at him to get out, but he had a project to work on.

“I’m not taking you to my room,” Jean said as she led him to the kitchen. He bumped into the table and felt his cheeks grow warm.

“Fine by me,” Scott said. He sat down and dropped his backpack onto the table.

“Do you want anything?” Jean asked. He heard her rifling through the fridge and cabinets.

“Just water, please. Thank you,” Scott said.

Jean set a glass of water in front of him. She must have been using her powers, because he didn’t hear her walk to him.

“I’m surprised a Brotherhood boy is so polite,” she said.

“I’m surprised an X-Men is so hostile,” Scott said. He sipped the water.

Jean snorted. He heard her bring out some paper and something clattering on the table. Maybe pens?

Suddenly, a sulphurous smoke filled his nose and a  _ BAMF! _ sound rang in his ears.

“Oh, cool! Scott is here,” Kurt said. He must not be using the image inducer, because Scott felt Kurt’s tail pat his cheek. “Tell Todd ‘hi’ for me.”

“He’s doing a project with me,” Jean said. She threw a paper ball at Kurt, who teleported out before it could hit him. “Sorry about him,” she said to Scott.

Scott shrugged. Pietro was about the same. Always appearing and disappearing when you least expect it.

Jean was silent for a moment.

“Why don’t you take those sunglasses off?” She said, “You don’t have to hide here.”

Scott let out a dry laugh. Maybe she didn’t know. “I would if I could.”

They got most of the work done, but there was a little bit more left that would have to be done another day. They made plans to meet after school on Friday to finish.

Scott was glad to leave the mansion. It seemed as if every cell sighed in relief when Lance picked him up and drove away.

“Yo, what’s for dinner?” He heard Todd ask when they were home.

“Dust bunnies,” Pietro replied, monotone and hopefully not serious.

“I got some stuff from the store before I got you,” Lance told Scott.

Again, he heard Pietro and Lance before he went to sleep.

“I’ll get a job too,” Pietro said.

“If you want,” Lance said.

“You’re going to kill yourself,” Pietro’s voice broke.

“I can’t let us starve,” Lance said, and Pietro was too quiet for Scott to hear after that.

It was the end of school on Friday, and Scott was kind of excited.  _ It’s not a date, _ he reminded himself. They were just finishing the project. And then they would go back to never speaking. And avoiding each other.

Scott rounded a corner and heard Jean with someone else.

“I said I don’t want to.”

“Come on, Jean. Lighten up and have a little fun.” It was that  _ asshole _ Duncan Mattews.

“No. I’m busy tonight and  _ I don’t want to, _ ” Jean said.

Scott heard Duncan sigh, long and hard and fake, “You have an excuse every time I try to go out with you.”

“Because we’re not dating anymore!” Jean said. “Are to too stupid to remember that I broke up with you weeks ago?!” Scott heard something heavy slam against the lockers and realized that Jean was holding Duncan to the lockers with her powers.

“Jean, you ready to go?” Scott said, calling attention to himself.

“Summers?! Seriously Jean? You’re going out with the blind freak?” Duncan must be free from the lockers now.

Scott didn’t respond.

“Go away, Duncan,” Jean said. She grabbed Scott’s arm and led him all the way outside to her car. 

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“To the park. There are picnic tables where we can work,” Jean said.

In no time, they finished the project and stored it neatly in Jean’s backpack. Scott didn’t want to leave yet, and neither did Jean apparently, because they stayed for an extra three hours talking.

Talking about everything and nothing. The years they ignored each other. Mystique. Xavier. Their friends. Their shared apprehension that Todd and Kurt were growing rather close. Life at the Brotherhood house. Life at the Xavier Institute. School assignments. Anxiety over graduation. General gossip.

Eventually, Jean drove Scott home. He lingered a bit before he shut the car door.

“Today was nice,” he said.

“Yeah, it was,” Jean said. He could hear a smile in her voice.

“We wasted four years for nothing.”

“Yeah, we did.”

“Do you want to, um, talk again sometime?” Scott asked. He shifted from foot to foot.

“I would like that,” Jean said.

Scott grinned and shut the door. He stepped onto the porch. He didn’t hear her drive away until he was inside.

The other boys teased him relentlessly. He waved them off and went to his room.

Weeks later, Scott panicked and sobbed while his teammate—his  _ best friend _ —lay collapsed on the floor.

His best friend was on the floor and oh god  _ oh god _ he wasn’t moving and he was breathing thank god but he  _ wasn’t moving _ and and Scott didn’t know  _ why  _ and  _ he wasn’t moving _ —

Someone pulled him away from Lance. Scott kicked and screamed and maybe bit, but his kidnapper did not let go.

“Shh, kid. It’s okay. He’s gonna be okay,” A gruff voice that Scott had heard once or twice vibrated from the man’s chest though Scott’s back.

“Let go of me! Please—LET GO!” Scott screamed. Where was Pietro? Where was Todd? Where was Fred? Lance was on the ground he was  _ on the ground and he wasn’t moving. _

The man sat with Scott in a car and rubbed his back while he cried, soaking his blindfold.  _ Where was Lance?!  _ The car eventually stopped and the man—who Scott now vaguely recognized as Wolverine—led Scott inside a building. He didn’t have to see to know it was the Xavier Mansion.

“Take him to the infirmary!” A woman’s voice said, “McCoy will help him.”

“Can we stay with him?” That was Pietro’s voice! Scott walked with his hands spread until he found Pietro’s boney shoulder, and clutched it like a lifeline. Pietro laid a hand on Scott’s.

The woman did not speak for several moments until she said, “Yes, but please understand that he needs rest.”

The Brotherhood boys followed the lady to the infirmary. Pietro and Scott walked holding each other. Scott was still hiccuping, a few stray tears wetting his blindfold again.

The boys sat in Lance’s hospital room. It wasn’t really a hospital room, but it was the closest they could get. The walls were curtains, so they took turns in the two chairs. It was an unspoken agreement that none of them would leave.

Mr.—Professor?—McCoy came in periodically to check on Lance. He explained that Lance had overworked himself to the point of collapse. He said that Lance should be fine with enough rest and food.

Todd stopped Mr. McCoy once to ask him more questions. Scott didn’t hear. Fred and Todd talked in low, hushed voices. Kurt came in to bring them food, then left.

Pietro squeezed into the small cot with Lance. Scott, on Lance’s other side, in the chair, laid his head on Lance’s chest and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Scott woke to Jean and Pietro talking. Jean? What was she doing here?

“What happened to him?” Jean asked. She sounded worried. Why would she be worried about Lance?

“He pushed himself too hard,” Pietro’s voice sounded scratchy and broken, like he’d been crying for hours, “I  _ told _ him to take a break, but he didn’t listen—” his voice caught.

“Are you guys okay? Do you need anything? Breakfast, maybe?” Jean offered.

“A toothbrush,” Scott’s own voice was tired and groggy. He lifted his head from Lance’s chest and stood up from the chair, stretching and joints popping.

His neck hurt. And sides. And legs. Maybe it was a bad idea to sleep in a chair.

“I can do that,” Jean said. She walked out. Her footsteps receded until Scott could no longer hear them.

“What are we gonna do?” Todd asked when Jean was gone. He sounded heart-wrenchingly sad.

Surprisingly, before Scott could answer, Fred did.

“We’re gonna wait for him. We’re gonna stay here until he’s okay to go home,” Fred said. He sounded so  _ sure _ that Scott only nodded. He wouldn’t dare think of leaving anyway.

Scott rested a hand on Lance’s forehead, pushing back the soft, messy hair. Pietro wasn’t with Lance anymore. He was probably on the other chair.

It was a while until Jean returned. Scott could smell eggs, bacon, pancakes, all sorts of breakfast food. She pressed a toothbrush and toothpaste into his palm.

“I’ll show you the bathroom,” She said.

“Thank you,” he told her when his face was washed and his teeth were brushed (he had to take off his blindfold to wash his face, he might not have minded if he accidentally destroyed part of the mansion).

_ No _ , he told himself,  _ That’s wrong. They’re helping us. _

Wait.  _ Why _ were the X-Men helping them?

Scott asked out loud when he got back to the Brotherhood. Todd handed him a plate full of food and a water bottle.

“I ran to them,” Pietro was quiet, his voice small, “I… I didn’t know where else to go.”

Hours later, Scott heard the tiniest groan from Lance.

Pietro rushed to Lance and held him, ran his hands through Lance’s hair, whispered meaningless words. Todd hopped on Lance’s cot. Fred stood over him, smiling wide.

Scott pushed through his friends and hugged Lance tight.

“We were really scared,” he said.

Lance coughed, “Um—water—where am I?”

Pietro ran off and returned with McCoy before Scott could answer.

Scott laid in the grass with Lance, a week after he woke up. It was pleasant out. Lance watched the sunset. Scott watched the inside of his eyelids. They were all keeping a close eye on Lance after that. Making sure that he wasn’t working too hard. McCoy made Lance quit his job. After some time talking with Xavier, McCoy said that Xavier would pay for everything.

The house, food, school. All of it.

“How’s it going with Pietro?”

“Oh, shut up Summers. How’s Jean, huh?”

Eventually, Jean took him up on his offer to hang out again. They were in her car, listening to shitty music on the radio with the windows open.

“Where do you want to go?” Jean asked.

“Anywhere,” Scott said.

Jean parked her car a few minutes later. Neither of them got out.

“Can I take them off?” Jean unbuckled her seatbelt and turned towards him.

Scott leaned back, away from her. He laid a hand on his dark sunglasses. “No,” he said, “I can’t control it.”

“Oh,” Jean said, “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

They were silent for a few minutes.

Scott heard Jean sigh, her head hit the headrest.

“Xavier told me that Mystique is bad. Not good. And you guys must be too, if you’re with her. And, god, I believed him for years. But now that Mystique and Magneto are gone…” She trailed off.

“What?” Scott said, almost a beg for her to continue.

“You’re not such a bad guy, Summers,” Jean said.

Scott smiled, “You’re not so bad yourself, Grey.” 

Scott did not— _ could _ not—wipe that smile from his face for the rest of the night.

“How was your date, loverboy?” Todd teased when Scott got home, dragging out the ‘boy’.

“Why don’t you go back to your room and tell Kurt I can hear him teleport here every night,” Scott  _ still _ couldn’t quell his smile.

“H-Hey!” Todd sputtered and hopped away.

Three days later, Jean came to their lunch table with Kurt. “We should stop being separated,” she said as they sat down. Everyday after that, the Brotherhood and X-Geeks (Pietro still called them that, more of a friendly term now) sat together. 

That night, Scott heard sounds coming from Lance’s bedroom.  _ Different _ sounds. Pietro and Lance weren’t talking. They were—

“Oh god,” Scott muttered. He secured his blindfold and went downstairs to the kitchen. He really didn’t need to hear that.

He trailed his fingers over the wall until he found the phone. His fingers hovered over it. Should he call her, this late at night? He decided  _ fuck it, _ and dialed her personal number. It would be really embarrassing if he called the mansion and Xavier himself answered (he still has never seen the man, much less talked to him).

Miraculously, Jean answered.

“Hm? Yeah, what’s up?” She yawned. It sounded like she just woke up.

“Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I didn’t really think you would answer,” Scott said.

“S’fine,” Jean said.

“Okay, um. Do you want to go somewhere… or something…” Scott trailed off.

“You wanna come over?” Jean asked. She sounded more awake now. “We can train in the Danger Room. That’s what I do sometimes when I can’t sleep. Give me like thirty minutes and I’ll pick you up.”

The car ride to the institute was quiet and awkward. Scott wished he could see in that moment so he could at least look out the window or something. Neither of them said a word as Jean parked and guided Scott to the Danger Room.

“You can take off your blindfold in there,” Jean said, “You won’t hurt anyone.”

And he could. And he did. Jean was in the control room so he didn’t accidentally hit her. He blasted bots left and right and he could _see._ _He could see_.

He and Jean trained together too. Scott had his blindfold on. He remembered before Mystique was gone, that she would train him blind. Luckily, he hadn’t forgotten that training.

By the time they were done, Scott was breathing hard and sweaty. Jean seemed perfectly fine.

“We do this every day,” she explained, “I’m used to it.”

“Every day? Holy shit,” Scott wiped his sweat with the towel Jean had handed him.

“If you want to shower, you can use my bathroom,” Jean offered.

“No one will be showering in anyone’s bathroom,” a powerful, slightly accented voice carried through the Danger Room. Scott immediately knew that this was Xavier.

He flinched. He felt like he had when he first stepped foot in the mansion to work on the project with Jean. Every fiber of his being told him to  _ get out, this man is dangerous _ .

**_I am no more dangerous than you are, Scott Summers_ ** .

_ Get out of my head. GetoutgetoutgetoutGETOUT. _

“So, this is the boy I’ve heard so much about. I don’t know if you know, but we have met on the battlefield before, Mr. Summers,” Xavier said. Scott heard his wheelchair roll.

Scott swallowed. He reached a shaking hand for the closest thing possible, which was Jean’s hand.

“You are remarkable,” Xavier continued, “Truly fine craftsmanship. Your mutation, you can fire dangerous beams from your eyes. But you can’t control it. That’s a shame.”

“Okay, Professor,” Jean said, “that’s enough.”

Scott wanted to thank Jean, but stopped when he heard Xavier muttering to himself.

“He’ll need glasses. McCoy can whip something up. Ruby-quartz, perhaps.”

“Professor,” Jean said again.

“Oh yes, my apologies,” Xavier said, “I retract my earlier statement. Scott, why don’t you shower and then Jean will take you down to the kitchen? We can discuss your powers.”

“Um, no thank you, Sir. I-I should get back home anyway,” Scott said. He hated how small his voice came out.

Jean drove him home. She said the sky was beginning to turn into daylight.

“Thank you,” Scott said when she pulled into the driveway of the Brotherhood house. “For more than driving me home.”

“I got it,” Jean said. Scott heard a smile in her voice, “It’s no problem. Um, sorry about the Professor.”

“It’s fine,” Scott said. His fingers stalled on the car door.

“Hang on. Before you go, I want to give you something,” Jean sounded closer.

He felt her lips on his cheek. She lingered for a split second. Then she was gone.

“Um! Thank you!” Scott said. He practically tumbled out of the car and through the doorway to the house. He hoped she was still there when he waved goodbye.

He closed the door behind him. A soft smile tugged at his lips. Oh boy, he was whipped. He really hoped Todd didn’t see. He would never let Scott live it down.

“I’ve got a sister,” Pietro told him one day. “She’s my twin.”

“Where is she?” Scott asked.

Pietro didn’t answer.

That night, they celebrated nothing in particular and had a big meal. Pietro and Fred required more food than the others, so there were minimal leftovers. The five of them sat around their kitchen table and ate happily. Content. Merry. Jovial. All those words.

They went to their beds with their bellies full. Weeks ago, that would have never happened.

Scott heard someone lean on the locker next to his. He grabbed his math textbook and closed the locker (he couldn’t read it, but the school gave him one anyway).

“Hey,” Jean said.

Scott remembered a couple days ago. When she kissed his cheek. “Hey,” he felt his cheeks grow warm.

“Do you want to get ice cream with me after school?” Jean asked. There was something strange in her voice, something Scott hadn’t heard before.

“Sure,” Scott said.

Scott sipped his plain vanilla milkshake. Jean called him weird, then proceeded to eat her cookies and cream sundae with chocolate sauce, gummy bears, and peanut butter cups.

Scott couldn’t see the crime against humanity that she was eating, but he almost passed out when she ordered it.

They sat shoulder to shoulder in the ice cream place outdoor seating. The afternoon was cool and calm. The chatter of other customers was pleasant, and surprisingly not distracting. Scott adjusted his glasses and sipped the milkshake again.

“Open your mouth,” Jean said.

“I don’t—” Scott felt a plastic spoon heaping with ice cream in his mouth. Scott closed his mouth and Jean slid the spoon out.

“It’s good, right?” Jean laughed.

Scott blushed. Her laugh was so lovely and so  _ real _ .

“Uh, yeah. If you want to get sick,” Scott said. “The gummy bears are too much.”

“You’re so boring,” Jean laughed again, and this time she didn’t stop. Scott joined her with chuckles of his own.

Jean paused. She was silent. Scott swallowed, suddenly nervous. Did he do something wrong? Did he offend her or accidentally say something rude?

“You are very pretty,” Jean said. Almost a whisper. Scott had to lean closer to hear.

Scott turned red, “Um, uh, thanks.” He tilted his head down and played with the holes in his jeans. “Y-You too,” he stuttered.

“You don’t know what I look like,” Jean reminded him.

“I guess not,” Scott agreed, “but I think you’re pretty.”

Scott loudly sipped the rest of his milkshake and threw the cup in the garbage can. He heard Jean scrape her ice cream bowl and throw it away too.

“Where now?” She asked.

“Do you wanna just walk around?” Scott asked.

Jean linked her pinky with his, “Yeah,” she said, “I’d like that.”

Jean kissed him three days later. They were in the library to finish homework when it happened. She placed a hand on his cheek to let him know what she was about to do. To give him a chance to back out. When he leaned in, she kissed him. Scott smiled through the kiss. He let out a nervous laugh, effectively ruining the moment and causing Jean to laugh as well.

“You’re unusually happy,” Fred pointed out when Scott came home that night.

Scott grinned and didn’t answer.

“Hey, Scott!” Kurt called across the hallway at school some time later.

Scott waited until he heard Kurt next to him, “What’s up?”

“The professor wants to see you after school,” Kurt said, “See you at lunch!” And then he was gone.

Scott felt his mouth grow dry and his palms sweaty. Xavier wanted to see him? Why? To kill him for kissing Jean?!  _ That’s ridiculous _ , the rational side of Scott’s brain thought.

Jean drove him to the Institute after school. Scott replaced his dark sunglasses with his usual blindfold. He fidgeted with the AC vent for the rest of the drive.

“It’ll be fine,” Jean said, “I know you’re scared of him. He’s not scary, I promise.”

“I guess,” Scott said.

“I’ll stay with you, if you want,” Jean offered.

“Yes, please.”

They held hands on the way in. Scott squeezed her hand a bit too tight when they entered Xavier’s office.

“Don’t be so nervous, Mr. Summers,” Xavier said.

Scott offered a weak smile in response.

“I have a gift for you,” Xavier said. He placed something hard and weirdly-shaped in Scott’s hands.

Scott ran his fingers over it until he realized they were glasses. 

“Put them on,” Jean said. There was a smile in her voice.

Scott slipped his blindfold off with shaking hands and put on the glasses. They felt like normal sunglasses.

“Open your eyes,” Xavier said.

Scott shook his head. Xavier knew what would happen if he did. What was Xavier doing? Scott gripped his blindfold tightly.

“Please Scott, open your eyes,” Xavier said. His voice was calm and collected, but Scott could tell that he would not take ‘no’ for an answer. 

Against his better judgement, Scott felt himself trust the professor. Just a tiny bit. He opened his eyes slowly. Blinked. Blinked again. Nothing happened.  _ Nothing happened! _ Scott exhaled a breath he’s been holding for too long. Since his mutation developed. He laughed incredulously and turned to Jean. 

His breath caught in his throat. She was so,  _ so  _ beautiful.

Her hair was deep red, just like everyone said (his vision was tinted red, but he didn’t mind because he could  _ see _ ). Her eyes held more wisdom than any eighteen year old should have, and more mischief and humor than any eighteen year old should have. She was  _ so pretty. _

“Wow,” was all he could say.

The corners of her lips quirked upwards into a smile. 

Scott turned back to Xavier and he was  _ bald! _ He tried to suppress his chuckle.

“Thank you, Professor,” Scott said, “Thank you so much.”

He looked down at his hands and arms and saw freckles. He smiled. 

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos keep me alive!! maybe i'll add to this fic someday to show more of scott interacting with the brotherhood, but this is all for now :)
> 
> i hope you liked it!! have a great day!
> 
> (sorry if the spacing is weird on the fic. i write all my fics on google docs and i cant be bothered to fix it lol)


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